U.S. House votes to back broader N. Korea sanctions

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. House of Representatives voted nearly unanimously to pass legislation to broaden sanctions over North Korea's nuclear program, while South Korea called on China to play a key role in the response to the North's nuclear test last week, Reuters reports.

Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for an expansion of the size and power of his isolated country's nuclear arsenal, state media reported on Wednesday, January 13.

Last week's nuclear test was North Korea's fourth, although the United States and experts doubt the North's claim that it was of a more powerful hydrogen bomb, as the blast was about the same size as that from an atomic bomb test in 2013.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye said further provocations by the North including "cyber-terrorism" were possible. She noted that Beijing, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has stated repeatedly that it would not tolerate the North's nuclear program. Park said Seoul and Beijing were discussing a draft UN Security Council resolution on North Korea.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he had told his Chinese counterpart that China's approach to North Korea had not succeeded.

While China last week urged North Korea to stick to its denuclearization pledges and avoid action that would make the situation worse, it also said it did not hold the key to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.